Effort is being made to develop electronics for application in measuring electrical properties of biological tissue. For example, effort is being made to develop electronics that can be applied to measure a property such as tissue hydration level.
Tissue hydration is the process of absorbing and retaining water in biological tissues. In humans, a significant drop in tissue hydration can lead to dehydration and may trigger other serious medical conditions. Dehydration may result from loss of water itself, loss of electrolytes, and/or a loss of blood plasma. Previous techniques for monitoring tissue hydration have applied, e.g., an ultrasonic hydration monitor that employs ultrasound velocity to calculate hydration level. The ultrasound hydration monitor is generally attached to tissue such as muscles. The device generally uses a rigid frame to maintain a constant distance between an ultrasound transducer and a receiver.
The use of electronics in such medical-related applications can be hampered by the boxy, rigid way that much electronics are designed and packaged. Biological tissue is mainly soft, pliable and curved. By contrast, boxy, rigid electronics can be hard and angular, which could affect the measurement of tissue.